Religion in YA novels

Depends on how you incorporate the biblical verse. If you use it to make a point that's not religious or about the MC having a religious awakening of some kind then it probably won't make the book religious. In my opinion, that is. I'm fairly uneducated about religious YA, so I'm hoping some more awesome, informed people weigh in on this.

But wouldn't writing a book with religion flowing throughout (they're at a Catholic school and it's about the Immaculate Conception) and with religious characters (assuming they're Catholic) make the book kinda religious by default? Unless you're portraying religion in a negative light or something. However, as I said, I know next to nothing about religious lit. So...Going to stop rambling now.

You can write about christian religion in a book without it being labeled Christian fiction.

I don't think it's christian lit, by the way you've described it. Christian lit assumes that Christianity Is True, And Also Good. It also assumes that all the readers are Christian, and that all the readers agree that Christianity Is True, And Also Good. The ending will affirm these ideas. It won't really be about various people with various beliefs questioning each other and questioning their own beliefs.

On the other hand, your book sounds like you've got,
MC: WTF is going on?
Best Friend: Christianity is true! Hurray!
Other friends: We are all skeptical.

And thus not Christian lit.

PS "Immaculate Conception" doesn't refer to Mary getting pregnant without having sex. "Immaculate Conception" refers to Mary being conceived, in the usual way, except that she was free from sin (Immaculate, filled with divine grace, without the stain of original sin, however you want to phrase it.) If your characters go to Catholic school, I reckon they know this.

hey--

I have a MS with an immaculate conception, and i used bible verses as chapter headings. i was worried it'd be considered christian fiction, but no one in the business ever seemed to feel that way, or think (like I did) that it might be a problem for a book with that subject matter to have a big clunky jewish name slapped across the front.

but I did get rejections from editors that said they thought modern teenagers would have trouble relating to the subject matter. and as of right now, this ms hasn't sold.

I would like to think the book as a whole would determine whether or not it's pegged as Christian Lit. A few passages shouldn't have too much effect.

I've read heaps of mainstream books with religious plotlines. I think it works when no one gets preachy. Readers want to read a story, not a sermon. And if the MC's in that story are somehow linked in a religious sideplot/theme, who cares? As long as the story is good.

Sounds like you're definitely not doing any preaching, so I wouldnt worry about it.

I'm trying to think of examples, but am a bit brain-dead (and my kids are running around shooting with their Nerf Guns and I'm caught in the middle of the crossfire.)

'What Would Emma Do' Eileen Cook - a new YA, that I enjoyed, really funky MC voice. Opens with the protag praying to Jesus, has a religious theme and isnt preachy, just kinda cool. It's mainstream YA, I couldnt tell if the author's a christian or not. There's no hidden agenda, just a good story.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416974326/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

Jodi Picoult has one 'Keeping Faith', which I found a little weird, but, hey, it sold well. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061374962/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

Argh, gotta go, if I think of more I'll add them (and there's stacks more). I'd be trying to read mainstream YA that has religious stuff in it and get a feel for how other authors have done it.

But it sounds like you're doing okay to me.

Think Saved! Great film about the goings on at a Christian school but it's not a religious/Christian film.

It's in the stance you hold. You can let your Christian critical opinions shine through in how you describe all that's happening. You could market it as a critique against Christianity? As a part of the new atheist wave or something? That might get you a sales edge? Then you'll be safe, and nobody will confuse you with Christian lit.

I always felt that Christian lit was, by definition, preaching about the good of Christianity in any context, and how it's whole, and good and right. If you have skepticism and doubt about Christianity in your novel, I would think it would negate that (my, anyway) definition of Christian lit.

It just sounds like you have a story set in Catholic school. Nothing wrong with that and it definitely doesn't make your novel Christlit by default. It's all on how to tell the story. If your own doubt about the religion shines through the text (not a bad thing, by the way), then you're not Christlit. But if you preach about the ills of teenage pregnancy and sex before marriage, etc, yeah, Christlit, to me anyway.

I'm moulding a YA story of my own with Christianity as a heavy, heavy theme (involving the Antichrist and the Second Coming) but man am I FUCKING with that story. I'm not religious AT ALL but I'm doing my research to get the mythos right (people would damn me to Hell just calling it all mythos) but should this particular book ever make it to publication, it will have a guaranteed spot on the Banned Books List and I'm sure will be used as incendiary device in many a book burning. My main character's name alone is Melissa Ann Gheedo (still haven't quite worked out the spelling of Gheedo yet). Or M.A. Gheedo. Three guesses what that's a bastardization of.

Yeah, your story doesn't sound like it could be interpreted as Christian lit to me, although I suppose it's the ending that'd make all the difference.

If you're lucky, it'll get the Christians angry and give you some fabulous publicity.

It's all how you handle it. To be honest though, super religion catholics are very overdone, and when I come across one i usually put the book down (or turnt the tv off) if they are Irish as well then I might have to fight back a desire to poke someone in the eye.

That said, I think your plot sounds interesting, and obviously the religious aspect of their upbrining is important to it. However, don't let the religion overtake the plot.

I think this is the kind of thing you should think about AFTER you have a first draft completed, not before. Just write the novel now, with whatever you want to put into it -- bible verses and all. Don't hold back! Especially don't worry about what other people might think -- except for making sure you're telling a compelling story. Then, when you have the first draft done, read it to get more of a sense of what your themes are, and at that point you'll know how to start editing it. In other words, let your subconscious drive your novel now -- don't put your critiquing hat on or it will might interfere with the creative process.

Inkblot said:

I think this is the kind of thing you should think about AFTER you have a first draft completed, not before. Just write the novel now, with whatever you want to put into it -- bible verses and all. Don't hold back! Especially don't worry about what other people might think -- except for making sure you're telling a compelling story. Then, when you have the first draft done, read it to get more of a sense of what your themes are, and at that point you'll know how to start editing it. In other words, let your subconscious drive your novel now -- don't put your critiquing hat on or it will might interfere with the creative process.

Click to expand...

This is full of win right here. Listen to Inkblot. Just write the story. Worry about how it'll be shelved and how people will react to it when it actually gets to that point.

Amen to Donna and Inkblot. Just write it and worry about the rest later. The Story is what's important right now in the 1st draft. Not the "lable" on the story.

I worked in the Christian book market and, trust me, it's VERY obvious when someone is trying to write religious lit. And to some extent, I think it's almost impossible for the authors "life view" not to end up imbedded in the text in one way or another. So, if you don't believe in it, that will come through in context more than likely.

So, not worries. Now, write that thing, Girl!

Does it matter? Most YA books with Christian characters written by non-Christians today potray the Christian characters as annoying, preachy lunatics who act with hardly any logic - eg, Life As we Knew it. No one thought that was preachy, even though one of the characters kept blabbering about Jesus and eventually starved herself to death cos God said so (according to her).

I doubt an agent will care enough to reject your work. All you need to do is ensure that the plot takes centre stage in your book, and not the preachings or bible verses.

It's not unheard of for teenagers to get religion, even fundamentalist religion, so I don't see why it can't be dealt with sympathetically in a YA novel - without at the same time turning into a pro- or anti-religious tract. Especially if it creates conflict with other characters, who are convincingly non-religious...rather along the lines of what Kitty Pryde talks about above.

In fact I'm developing a SNI of this kind at the moment.